Avatars, long the ignored, under-dressed face of the Xbox 360, are getting an overhaul. But it will cost you. New clothing and props from popular games including The Secret of Monkey Island and Halo will be hitting the 360 next month.

The avatar marketplace is tucked away neatly inside your avatar customization menu as its own option. You can also access it through the Marketplace option on the pop-up.

The marketplace itself is neatly arranged, currently organized by style and game titles. So far the categories include clothing and accessories for Halo 3, Fable 2 and The Secret of Monkey Island clothing. There are also categories for Steampunk and something called Recessionista.

The current offering of clothing was mostly bland for Halo 3 and Fable 2, but the Monkey Island stuff included pirate outfits, a giant cotton swab and a rubber chicken.

I tried purchasing a pair of steampunk goggles and a remote control Warthog, which it doesn't seem like you can control. The prices for the items I saw ranged from 80 Microsoft points up to 320.

There was also an area for "awardables", which are clothing and props you can earn as rewards within games. I hadn't yet earned any. I suspect this will only be supported in future titles or with updates to current games.